Explanation:
Where on Earth is the air most polluted?
Recently released images from the
Terra satellite
show not only areas of high pollution,
but also how polluted air moves.
In the
above image, locations of higher
air pollution are shown in red.
The pollutant tracked is
carbon monoxide
(CO) at a height of about 5 kilometers.
Clearly, Earth's Northern Hemisphere
shows much more CO than the south.
The new data indicate, however,
that pollution moves on a global scale.
About half of all
CO emission is of human origin,
and much of this is created in
large fires.